Watch: Thief chooses wrong place to rob, chased away by martial arts students

A surveillance video circulating online showed a young man jumping over a turnstile at a gym on Monday only to be chased by Jiu Jitsu students moments later.

worldUpdated: Oct 06, 2017 13:16 IST

HT Correspondent Hindustan Times, New Delhi

A thief was chased away by a Jiu-jitsu class during the attempted robbery on Monday.(Video screengrab)

A man in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro chose the wrong place to attempt a robbery: a gym with Jiu-jitsu students.

A surveillance video circulating online showed a young man jumping over a turnstile at a gym on Monday only to be chased by Jiu-jitsu students moments later.

Jiu-jitsu is a martial art that focuses on ground fighting and grappling with the opponent.

The receptionist told local media the man asked her for directions but she did not help him as she was suspicious. He then demanded her mobile phone and jumped behind the counter, prompting her to scream. She told Globo.com the thief threatened to kill her.

The suspect fled with a mobile phone but the woman was unharmed.

The Jiu Jitsu teacher Edgar Neto (41) told The Daily Mail the class had chased the thief but they couldn’t catch him because he fled with an accomplice on a bike.

The thief has not been arrested but one of his sandals that fell off during the chase was recovered, police said on Wednesday.